refugium setup

[reefcity]

Hello,

I do have a question regarding the setup of a rfugium for a 3 gal dark nano. As you could see on the pictures I am using the aquafuge and I filled it with a mix of normal fine coral sand and Fiji Mud.

As you see on this pic there is a very fine layer on the top. I think that indicates that the waterflow is not strong enough. Should I add an extra pump to blow this away???

Would you recommend to use an extra light on the refugium??

cu

George

 

[Anthony Calfo]

welcome to RF my friend

Regarding your nano... the lighting will depend on the species you want to keep, but generally speaking - you will need about 1 watt of light per liter of water. Seek a lamp that is warm in color (6500-10,000K)

For water flow, you may only need to use a nice vigorous airstone to churn the water adequately.

 

[reefcity]

Hi Anthony,

the concept for this nano is a focus on filter feeders and cretures that do not depend too much on light but more on the right plankton food. That is the reason why I call it a dark nano concept. I choose a 18W PC with 10.000K. As you see on the pic I am trying to shade the bottom with the rock the rest of the bottom will be shade with a big monti frag.

Currently I am focusing completly on finding the right setup for the refugium and get it started. Therefor I have added some critters I took from an existing tank. I choose some small pieces of live rock, an oystershell and of course some sand.

This is now how it looks inside the refugium. The idea to use an airstone is quite good because it would also solve my concerns regarding the oxygen level during the night. The bad side is that the bubbles make these ugly crusts when they burst at the surface. I tried to use a very small Seio but I think I will take it out again because I do not think the mysis that I want to add will like that very much.

Do you have any experience with the Fiji Mud?? I have used the Mineral Mud so far but the Fiji seems to be more natural and not so "clean". You recommend to give a new refugium the right amount of time for setup. Are you able to specify that a bit more for this setup here??

 

[Anthony Calfo]

I would prefer/recommend marine muds such as Fiji matter over so-called miracle muds of a terrestrial nature.

Lagoonal sediments are immensely helpful for feeding corals.

 

[reefcity]

Hi,

here is a small update on the Dark Nano setup. As you see the rufugium is doing pretty good. The worms I brought in from another tank are really everywhere now.

I have also strted to add a few things.

This is nearly the final setup. The monti was placed to shade even more the below area.

As you can see on the pics there is also some green hair algea and a little bit of cyano growing. Any idea of how to handle those things?? I do not want to use any chemicals right now if possible.


cu

George

 

[Scooterman]

Try to siphon the cyano out gently over the sand. Keep the nutrients low, try increasing your WC's some until it clears up but don't panic, your tank looks great.

 

[theJ]

wow very cool. I like your concept. May I ask what all that red stuff in your fuge is? Is that the cyno you are referring to?

 

[JoshF]

Looks great, keep us posted on how this setup works out. I would like to try something similar, but I wasn't going going to put in as bright-light demanding corals. If that monti does well, it's going to outgrow that space quickly! The fuge looks great also.

Josh

 

[reefcity]

Hi,

here is a closeup of the refugium:

It is a kind of red makro algea I think. I took it from another refugium of mine where it is growing since almost two years. It growth really slow so I do not think it is the No 1 choice if you want to remove phophate or so but I like the colour. You can not put it inside the tank because surgeons and others would eat it within seconds.
I am also not sure if the monti will make it but I thought if I put it as high as possible it should work.

cu

George

 

[theJ]

Ahhh, thanks for the closeup, it really is a nice looking algae.

 

[morgan]

thats really cool u need some filter feeding only soft corals i really like it but where does your fuge sit? i dont get it and do u have a protien skimmer

 

[reefcity]

Hi,

the fuge is a cpr hangon refugium and is on the back of the tank. As you have mentioned before this tank is mainly designed for filter feeders and I do not know if a skimmer would be the right filtration for that. This is why I decided to use the refugium plus DSB with Fiji Mud. As an extra backup I do have also a bag of chemi pure inside the first chamber of the aquafuge.

cu

George

 

[Reeferdude]

Looks good. I like how you're experimenting with different concepts. But overall it seems your tank should be fine even without skimming as long your water changes are often and consistant.